[February 04, 2013]
MOUNT PULASKI -- On Feb. 9
at 11 a.m., William Herndon, Abraham Lincoln's law partner, will be
portrayed in Mount Pulaski by acclaimed storyteller, author and educator
Brian "Fox" Ellis, from Peoria. This is a rare opportunity to enjoy a unique
look at Abraham Lincoln through the eyes of his law partner.

Everyone is invited to attend this
remarkable portrayal in the Mount Pulaski Courthouse courtroom,
where Abraham Lincoln, Judge David Davis, Stephen A. Douglas,
Leonard Swett, William Herndon and other lawyers who traveled by
horse and buggy in the mid-1800s Illinois 8th Judicial Circuit heard
cases in the Logan County seat of Mount Pulaski (1848-1855), an
Illinois Historic Site since 1936.

Complimentary servings of Mary Todd
Lincoln's cake will be provided throughout the day, 10 a.m. to 4
p.m.

In the afternoon from 1 to 3:30,
there will be multiple activities for children. Craft supplies will
be available for making cards, bookmarks and pictures for Lincoln's
Birthday or Valentine's Day. There will also be an Abraham Lincoln
scavenger hunt.

The previous day, Feb. 8, two other
historic individuals associated with Abraham Lincoln will be
portrayed by Ellis at the Mount Pulaski schools. For students of the
Mount Pulaski Grade School and Zion Lutheran School, Mr. Ellis will
portray Austin Gulihur, one of Lincoln's boyhood friends.
Fourth-graders will begin the morning program with a presentation of
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. In the afternoon, for the Mount
Pulaski High School, Ellis will portray American poet Walt Whitman,
who was a contemporary of Lincoln and wrote poems in praise of him
soon after the president's assassination.

The funding for these events has come
from the Tomlinson Trust, the Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau of
Logan County and the Mount Pulaski Courthouse Foundation. Mary Todd
Lincoln's cake will be donated by Hilltop Catering of Mount Pulaski.